Advice on Extending Z-Wave to an outbuilding

Some Background...

I have an outbuilding I want to add to my automation setup. It's 30m away from the main server and out of Z-Wave range
It is on the same LAN as the main house so I can control Hue, iTunes, etc OK
The outbuilding could have its own local mac if necessary but I'm trying to avoid that

Does anyone know of a way of extending the Z-Wave network by 30m?

USB over LAN to a second Stick if Indigo can manage two Z-Sticks? I have some experience of using "Eltima USB over Network" with some erratic success not with the Z-Stick.

USB over CAT5 using a hardware dongle, e.g. http://www.scene-double.co.uk/USB-extenders/product.asp??kvm_extender=Icron%20USB%20Extenders&usb_extender=usb-extenders&product=Icron%20USB%20Ranger%202211&ID=244
[EDIT] just done some more searching and understand that this isn't possible

Any outdoor Z-Wave devices out there I could use to extend the network?

If I do need a second Indigo server - would that need an additional license?

All/any ideas greatly appreciated!

Have had same problem , use an Vera edge, connected to the network and the Vera plugin, wourks great for me.
//jens


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[jay (support)]

If I do need a second Indigo server - would that need an additional license?

Yes - Indigo is licensed per server so since you'd be running a separate server you'd need a second license.

es - Indigo is licensed per server so since you'd be running a separate server you'd need a second license.

Thanks - I'll go that route then

There was talk of a plugin for syncing two instances of indigo, but it's not happened yet.


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You could try going with insteon rather than Z-wave device s in the barn... That worked for years at my mother/sisters pair of houses and barn. We did have a powerline interference problem when we updated the well pump to a VFD,, but finally found a filter we could put on the pump that has everything working between two houses 100 yards apart with a barn that's about 150 yards from both houses, all served by the same transformer on a central power pole.

I also have a system setup on a 7 acre estate connecting 4 outbuildings using insteon. To make things harder there is 3 separate electric accounts and power meters and 3 different pole transformers at 3 different locations. All 3 accounts had cables run for outdoor plugs and lighting and I has able to install a few insteon range extenders installed in water tight plastic boxes. All the insteon signals now go to the outbuildings by the insteon wireless RF. Has been running now for 5 years with no troubles.

Elwood

Thanks for the suggestions - want to try and avoid adding a new technology (insteon) if I can.
I think I'll try and add some z-Wave plus devices between the main house and the outbuilding to see if I can extend the range.
If that fails I'll add a second server in the guest house

Cheers

If you have two Indigo systems running then you can use the MQTT Gateway Plugin to communicate between them.

So in your Guest House you would have triggers on the Z-Wave devices to fire a MQTT action to send a message to the Main House Indigo system. MQQTT on that system could set variables which when changed could fire triggers to do what ever action you want to happen. The variables could be used in Control Panels to show the status of the remote Z-Wave devices.

Likewise you could use MQTT on the Main House MQTT system to send messages to the Guest House.

The excellent MQTT Gateway Plugin is very powerful.

Thanks for the suggestions - want to try and avoid adding a new technology (insteon) if I can.


Cheers

Maybe it's because I'm a geek from way back, but I have always found that Indigo's cross technology transparency is one of it's greatest strengths, allowing me to add "the right tool for the right job" as needed... I'm running insteon lights and switches, Z-wave motion detectors, thermostats, and door locks, RFX thermometers and weather instruments, Ubiquiti IP security cameras, SItesage energy monitoring, and rPi door and window alarms as well as presence detection, with almost no regards as to which technology is handling which function. Yes, there are "single technology" solutions for all these control/monitoring requirements, But without exception any single source methodology would require more oddball kludges to get around the limitations; I have looked at somehow getting mains power to enough gen5 Z-wave relays to reach the barn (battery powered devices do not generally relay) when we were having the powerline noise issues with insteon, as well as USB over wifi for the powermodem and/or Z-stick... which both work by the way but run into the hard rock of only one controller of any specified type per server.

A solar powered Aeon multisensor 6 DOES have nearly 100 yards of reach in each direction IF it's talking to a plug in relay slave on the OUTSIDE face of the house facing the multisensor, and a 6 volt gel cell and game camera solar panel are easily enough to keep it alive forever... Don't bother trying the solar powered "Dragon" cell phone chargers; they've got a slow leak protection circuit on the USB out that shuts down the power to the multisensor after about 5 minutes. Apparently it's current draw is too low to be considered ever a trickle charge.